It’s hard to imagine that a haircut as chic as Tamron Hall‘s would ever be the victim of online bullying. But as she shared, it once was — to the point where she listened to internet comments that called her a boy and grew out her strands, only to realize that her short hair was in fact part of her identity. We spoke to Hall at L’Oreal’s Women of Worth event about what makes her overcome the negativity and feel powerful — her short strands included.

“When I shared the story, I had no idea how it was going to resonate,” Hall tells PeopleStyle. “I got a tweet from Anita Baker, the person that inspired me to cut my hair, and I’m thinking, ‘faint now, Anita Baker is sending me a message,’ but the outpouring of support is exactly what we need to do.”

And her hair isn’t the only thing that lifts her up on a daily basis. Hall says her age is also what makes her proud. “I’m 46, and people say, ‘you shouldn’t say that!’ but I’m able to say it and I feel good,” she says, adding that daily face masks are they key to her glowing, ageless skin.

“I mask every single day,” she says. “I mask every morning — since I was 27 years old. I don’t care the brand, it can be from the drugstore or high end. I can be walking my dog in the mask scaring children and people off, but it’s my routine that I commit to every single day.”

But the most important factor in feeling powerful is empowering one another, Hall says, adding that she wants her young family members to understand what true girl power is.

“Women, teenagers, we have to really empower each other,” she explains. “I have a 17-year-old niece, I have a 10-year-old niece, and a 7-year-old. And I want them to know what girl power means and what it feels like. And I think we say it, I think we act on it, we really have to keep that current going. That’s what’s made feel good on my worst days, and I hope that I’ve been able to send that to other women.”